Corporate Warfare
by Stoyrah
Summary: Shinra Inc is under new managment, a rival company has appeared and the Turks may have their hands full dealing with a group known as Black Ops
1. Chapter 1

Corporate Warfare  
  
Chapter 1.  
  
The Turks, I hated the bastards, they made my life miserable. About four years ago Midgar was almost completely destroyed by a surge of magical energy called Holy. Someone, no one really remembers who, founded a company called Three Legged Lion, or TLL for short. They headed the ROM, or 'Revitalization of Midgar' movement. Today they are they are equal to Shinra in infamy, fame and riches.  
  
I am David Boekal, a member of the newly formed Black Ops, recruited to combat Soldier and Turks alike. I love my job, at times; this was not one of those times. I'd been caught napping. Beaten and left to sit in one of the random, artificial rainstorms someone had dreamed up. Synthetic weather and yet there was still no day down here in the slums...go figure.  
  
I got up, my left leg twisting at an odd angle and I fell forward into a puddle of rain washed blood. Fumbling, I found a cure materia and used it to fix my leg, using what little manna I had laughed in the process. The ruddy reflection I saw nearly made me laugh, and I might have, if not for my cracked rib. I looked absolutely horrid. Burns, bruises, cuts, scrapes, mud, fresh blood, dried blood...all mixed and smeared together.  
  
Normally I'm not all that bad looking; now...a Vraklados probably looked more inviting. Some people might have been thinking about finding a doctor. All I realized was that I'd left my apartment door unlocked and that I'd forgotten to feed my cat.  
  
Getting up, I limped out of the alley I'd been left in...again the bastards hadn't killed me... I would have killed them without a second thought...or a first for that matter, and I'd tried. I found my car, well the companies' car, and got in. Now I decided would be a good time to assess my injuries. Protected by two inches of bullet resistant glass.  
  
"Aww, shit." I cursed, finding a gunshot wound in, or actually, through my shoulder. A quick check in the mirror told me bullet's exit point was closed up, but I'd reopened the front during my trek to the car. I was bleeding all over myself, now I knew why I felt light headed.  
  
"Gonna hurt like a bitch." I muttered, heating up the cigarette lighter. Once it was hot enough I pressed it against my shoulder, cauterizing the wound. My left hand tightened it's already white knuckled grip on the steering wheel. It didn't feel or smell very pretty. Using my left arm I pressed the ignition switch and drove off. To hell with work, I was going home first.  
  
Three showers, a half hours sleep and four beer saw me feeling pretty well patched up. I put on a fresh uniform. Black Ops supplied all my clothes. Anything and everything I wore had their logo plastered on it somewhere. Today, or at least I thought it was still the same day... I ended up in some black combat fatigues with body armor around the vital areas. It looked cool and it protected my shoulder and rib to boot.  
  
I made the 45 minute drive to the TLL office building in half that time. Our building was massive, 86 floors up and 37 down. Though the pubic only had knowledge of thirty four of the lower floors and had access to only twelve of the above. We, as Shinra did, had our own personal army. Stationed and trained directly in sector 5. Trooper, named by one of the employees wishing to make a mockery of Soldier.  
  
The sliding doors hissed open, as usual all conversation stopped. Having my job and standing 6'9 had that effect on people. I fished a cigarette out of one of my pockets and lit it despite the 'no-smoking' signs plastered around the building. Those rules were for regular employees, not for me. I had fairly long dark brown hair, sometimes I tied it back, you know, for the hell of it, but normally it just kind of hung there.  
  
I walked into the lift and, several employees moved and stood on the opposite side as I did. Others left entirely, favoring the safety of the stairs. I keyed in my desired floor, number 76.  
  
"Black Ops member David." I said, holding up one hand and staring at a panel on the wall. A retinal, finger print and voice recognition were taken.  
  
"Confirmed, access granted." A synthesized female voice stated. We rose slowly to the 76th floor, ignoring any other stops the passengers before me had requested. I was briefly aware of some of the other employees in the lift talking.  
  
"I still don't get it, who the hell is he?" He was a big guy, probably low level security. I turned towards him; he looked at me, no trace of fear in his ignorant eyes. his friend looked distressed and suddenly disowned him.  
  
"The hell you lookin' at?" He quipped.  
  
"You."  
  
"Yeah well don't, or I'll pound your ass."  
  
"Sure." I replied skeptically, flicking the butt of my cigarette onto the floor near his feet. He launched a big, hairy knuckled fist towards my face. I quickly drew a tongfer and blocked with it. A large crack rang off the metal walls, floor 43, enough time to deal with this bum. The second Tongfer was in my hand instantly. I delivered several stinging blows to his mid-riff. I grabbed one tongfer by the end and belted him across the head with it.  
  
Game and Match.  
  
"Never, never underestimate your opponents' skill." I lecture the unconscious man. The lift doors opened on the floor that was our office. Some of the passengers stared at me as if I had just single handedly defeated weapon or something. Did it ever cross their minds that less than three hours ago I'd gotten my ass kicked. Not a chance.  
  
I was good; I could handle any one of the Turks, two on a really good day, but not all four.  
  
And they knew it.  
  
"Where in Leviathan's name have you been?" Roarke, our unnapointed leader yelled at me. Several thought ran through my head.  
  
Unconscious, getting kicked around, out, working, working out...  
  
"Busy." I finally decided.  
  
"Really," Roarke looked skeptical. "While you were 'busy' word was sent down. You're to report to the top floor to see Him."  
  
Oh, shit. A stick of gum found its way into my mouth. Chewing gum had been an advert about a month ago when I'd tried to quit smoking. All I'd ended up with was another equally distressing habit. Especially when I'd found the gum with nicotine in it.  
  
"Now!" Roarke shouted.  
  
"Yes...sir." I used the second lift in the room, this one lead directly to one of three floors. One was my current floor, the second was 85th floor, our Presidents office, the last floor was floor 86, the floor he lived on. The doors opened only seconds after they closed. Why weren't the other lifts as fast as this one?  
  
A blonde man, one full foot shorter than me and dressed in a white suit, stood staring out a window, his hands clasped behind his back. He turned his gaze towards me.  
  
"Ah, David! sit, sit."  
  
"Thank you, sir." I still wasn't used to the formalities of dealing with this man.  
  
"No need to be formal, not up here. Formality only counts down there...in my office."  
  
"I know sir."  
  
"Well then, down to business. You have an extra room in that apartment of your do you not?"  
  
"Yes, I do si..." I caught myself and bit off the last word. An amused smirk worked itself across the president's face.  
  
"I'd like to have our newest employee move in there with you."  
  
Not a chance in...  
  
"And I'll add two thousand gil to your paycheck for as long as he remains there."  
  
"Sure no problem." I now made twenty thousand gil per week. My apartment was in the lower cost housing in Sector 4. I saved my gil for a more important hobby. The president reclined in his sofa.  
  
"I'll not delay you any longer. His name is Adom Staedlyr, meet him on floor 13."  
  
I stood, nodded, rose and left. Picking my way carefully through our office so as not to be seen or heard. I made my way through floor thirteen, praying silently that this Adom would recognize me. No such luck. I tried finding his cubicle.  
  
"Excuse me sir." The man I questioned turned around and looked as if he was going to have a heart attack. "Never mind." I finally found it after finding someone who didn't faint or run at the sight of me.  
  
"Adom Staedlyr?" I asked uncertainly.  
  
"Yes?" The man asked, not turning from whatever it was he was doing.  
  
"President Dorin told me you needed a place to stay."  
  
"Correct." He stood and dusted his coat off, and grabbing the war sword he'd been polishing off the desktop. I got a glimpse of a name plate. It wasn't his desk.  
  
Whatever  
  
He was only four inches shorter than me. A great feat in Midgar. His black hair was slicked back giving him a mobster sort of look. He sheathed the war sword on his back.  
  
"Hey, my car's out back." I pulled an electronic starter out of my pocket and, with the push of a button, started my car. Mainly so I could find it when we got there. I the only car in the massive garage that was running. "So, where do I pick up your stuff? Adom merely shrugged. I sighed and sped off in the general direction of my apartment. 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2  
  
I opened the door and flipped the light switch on.  
  
"This is it, your cells over there." I rummaged through one of the three closets, producing a comforter and pillow. "Here." I dumped them into Adom's arms. "Now if you'll excuse me," I sat down ion my den/bedroom. I planned on vegetating for the next seven hours and then sleeping a while. It didn't happen, I nodded off after twenty minutes of dancing Shinra MP's.  
  
Cold, cold dark and raining. He was kneeling near the edge of the upper plate, holding onto...something, an arm. An arm attached to me...? I was hauled back up. He said something and we both started laughing. Blood sprayed from his chest and a surprised look crossed his face. A booted foot kicked his body off the edge.  
  
A cold hand rested on my shoulder, I spun taking up the mans fallen gun and firing at...  
  
"David wake up!" A girl I didn't remember bringing home shook me awake. Then something clicked.  
  
"Sarah? Who the hell let you in? What time is it?" Sarah was my older sister; there was a three-year gap between us. She gave me a roguish grin.  
  
"No door in Midgar is locked to me. And it's 4am Midgar time."  
  
"The fuck'd you wake up for at this time of night? Just crash in the..." My voice trailed off, "the spare room like you normally do..." Like me my sister was tall, Caucasian, and waist length blonde hair and green eyes.  
  
"Well, you see, I tried that," She held up a bandaged fore arm. "Your friend sleeps with a knife..."  
  
"Hey, it's the slums..." I countered.  
  
"In each hand."  
  
"So, he's a little paranoid...I carry a combat knife..."  
  
"These have eight inch blades."  
  
"Fine, where is he now?"  
  
"I think he's raiding the fridge..." An unpleasant odor confirmed her suspicions. Adom walked out of the kitchen eating a slice of cheese.  
  
"Man, don't you ever clean that thing out?"  
  
"I was going to warn you about that...I don't eat in often and some one..." I glared at Sarah, "Buys groceries every once in a while...and they don't get eaten." Someone started pounding at the door. "Get the hell out of here, I'm sleeping!" I yelled at them. The knocking turned to pounding and I heard a muffled voice holler something seconds before two SOLDIER barreled through my door.  
  
"Aww come on, I just fixed that!" I grabbed an outsider off a ledge and dropped the two SOLDIER, one with a leg that probably wouldn't be serviceable for a year and the other with a hole in his skull. The Turks stepped through the doorway. "Oh, hi guys." I said just before Rude came crashing through the wall and decked me before moving to stand near his comrades.  
  
"We don't have time for your...humor." Tseng said quietly.  
  
"Rude, man, that was lighter than the last time, losing your touch?"  
  
"..."  
  
"Talkative as ever." I fired several rounds, which Rude neatly dodged. I whipped the empty gun at Tseng and ducked as he kicked it back at my head. As I rose I drew my Tongfers, crossing them in front of me I focused on a red materia. "Hellfire!"  
  
A circular area in the middle of the floor exploded as the demon Ifrit rammed through it. He glared at me and turned his horned head towards the Turks. Flames began raging around him and, over the fury of the flames I heard Elena.  
  
"Diamond Dust!" A glow lowered itself from somewhere in the room and slowly formed itself into the feminine form of Shiva. Ice crystals flew towards a now moving Ifrit. The collision caused an explosion, which knocked both my party and the Turks off their feet, and probably finished off the surviving, injured SOLDIER.  
  
When the smoke and furniture remains cleared the battle resumed. Eat this! Fire 3!" I focused on an all materia and a Fire materia. Green energy swirled around me and a large cloud of flames enveloped the Turks. Adom drew and attacked with his war sword.  
  
Reddish energy trailed after him and his sword as he attacked the Turks, shouting.  
  
"Blade" He hit Tseng, "Of," He hit Rude, "The," He hit Reno, "Ancients!" He slashed Elena and performed an acrobatic maneuver that sent him flying backwards, slashing each of the Turks an additional time.  
  
"The hell was that?" I questioned as I slammed into a bewildered Tseng, using my shoulder to complement the flurry of Tongfer strikes I was about to deliver. A purple aura surrounded Tseng, who kicked me faster than I could react.  
  
"It's a limit breaker, a skill useable only when your anger reaches a sufficient level." He stated, calmly ducking under a roundhouse. Something struck me in the back of the head, pain seared through my body. Abruptly as it began, it stopped, and suddenly I realized I'd forgotten to keep tabs on Reno. I fell to my knee's struggling to keep my hands from trembling I hauled myself to my feet. I found my PHS and autodialed the company.  
  
"H..elp..T...ur..ks." I said, before another electrically charged attack dropped me into oblivion.  
  
Cold hand on my shoulder, I spun taking up the mans fallen gun and fired at...Tseng. The bullet struck him in the leg. He cursed and I was hit on the head by something, I don't know what, but it hurt like hell. I fell backward into a bloody puddle.  
  
When I woke up, they were gone and I was still here...why?  
  
********  
  
I opened my eyes and immediately squeezing them shut. A bright light hung from the ceiling. I attempted to raise my hand to shield my eyes but found I couldn't. Forcing my eyes open I found myself in a small cube shaped room. With a windowless door on one wall, and a mirror, which probably had someone one the other side watching, on the other side.  
  
Reno walked into the room followed by Rude.  
  
"What, the good cop bad cop routine again, how lame..." I muttered.  
  
"No," Reno stated with a smirk. "This is the bad cop, fucking psycho cop routine. I'll let you figure out who's who." He back handed me across the head.  
  
"I already knew you were a fucking..." He brought his fist back around. He backed off, signaling for Rude to take over. "What no questions." Reno laughed and paused just before he left the room.  
  
"Who said we wanted to know anything." Rude's fists flew faster than I could keep track of hitting me more times than I could count. Almost making me wish I hadn't insulted him earlier, almost.  
  
Again I woke up in an unfamiliar room. Though this time I had company.  
  
"Ohhhh, it's awake, it is yes yesss." It, or he, was a pitiful sight, at least what I could see of it...him...it. Hunched over and holding hands that had probably been broken more than once. It had thinning hair and kept rocking back and forth, staring at me with glowing yellow eyes. "Missed reunion, must resurrect master." It said matter of factly.  
  
"Yah, whatever." It pulled itself to its feet and scuttled over to a corner of the cell, it snatched something from a small hole in the wall and thrust it into my hand. It looked like a light blue marble. "The hell is this?" I asked.  
  
"It's the blue materia." It made a shrieking noise and dove into the back of the cell. Two SOLDIER entered and grabbed my arms and dragged me out of the room.  
  
"They did a number on him." One of them said in a slightly familiar voice.  
  
"Yeah, he's like bleeding profusely man." That one I knew, maybe.  
  
"Ed?"  
  
"Damn straight dude. This here's a breakout."  
  
"I gotta kill Reno he's got my stuff."  
  
"Been there done that."  
  
"Bought the t-shirt."  
  
"And stole your stuff back." He added enthusiastically. We were now outside and Ed pulled his mask off. He ran a hand through his spiky aqua green hair. I laughed, it hurt but I did it anyway.  
  
"What?" The second SOLDIER removed his mask.  
  
"Roarke? Wow, Someone big must be on the end of this."  
  
"Your sister would have killed me if I hadn't come." Again I laughed. "You managed to get yourself three weeks paid vacation at Costa del Sol."  
  
"Oh joy of all joys. I can walk you know." I was let go and promptly fell on my face. "Shut up, just shut up!" I rose to my feet and sauntered forward, more of a stagger though. "You guy's coming or what?" Ed and Roarke shrugged and were joined by Adom and Werner.  
  
"So what happened?" I don't know who asked.  
  
"Well, they tied me up, and Reno hit me, then he hit me again, then Rude hit me lots...and some freak gave me this." I held up the blue materia.  
  
"No questions?"  
  
"Nope I figured it was a trap to get you guy's here...shit!" I muttered the last part.  
  
"Bravo mister Boekal, bravo." A man I could have sworn was dead announced. "Ahh, I see you've noticed the uncanny resemblance I bear to my late nephew. Allow me to introduce myself...I am Michael Shinra, current president of Shinra Incorporated. And you are all dead." He walked off, white trench coat trailing behind him.  
  
My mind was racing, I was unarmed, and all I had was the blue materia. I focused on it, nothing then. Pain immense pain. I grew distant, becoming a cold unfeeling husk of what I had been. Faint noises, screams I thought, reached my ears and then, blissful silence. F\Gradually I grew less distant, the silence grew louder. I became aware if the fact that I was on my knees, when had that happened?  
  
Ed turned towards me eye's full of wonder.  
  
"The fuck was that man?" I shook my head, suddenly short of breath, sweat dripping from my forehead. Why in Odin's name was I so tired all of a sudden? 


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3.  
  
An evil snicker, the psychotic imp from the cell, now dressed in a lab coat, was performing an odd dance on the main lawn of Shinra HQ.  
  
"Worked, worked, hihihihi! Told you! Hojo never give up! Hihihihi..." 'Hojo' leapt into the air and went sailing over our heads.  
  
I collapsed, still conscious but unable to move.  
  
"Alright guy's, let's get out of here." Hands picked me up and carried me to a Black Ops SUV. A black BMW with a small armory in the back as well as room for five people, the fifth was usually a 'guest' but now with Adom, things might have to change.  
  
I was placed in the middle seat, held in place by Adom and Ed. Struggling I snatched my Tongfers from their place on the floor in front of Ed. Sparkling, multi-colored lights surrounded me as I used my most potent cure spell, Cure 2.  
  
"Much better." I announced, beginning to examine all the material in my Tongfers. "Damn, I need all of this." I pulled back a sleeve and started looking at the material in my Imperial Guard. "There." I pulled out the Leviathan materia I never seemed to use and slotted the Blue Materia in, it blended well with the rest of the support materia I had, being only a few shades darker in color. "Are we there yet?" I asked, leaning forward in my seat.  
  
"No," Roarke answered.  
  
"There yet?"  
  
"No." He sounded annoyed now.  
  
"There yet?"  
  
"No!" He turned and looked at me, his expression daring me to ask him again.  
  
"No need to get snippy." I leaned back in my seat smiling.  
  
******** I was pitched forwards as the vehicle suddenly stopped. I landed between the front bucket seats. Werner glanced down at me with a grin on his face.  
  
"Hello."  
  
"Hello. learn how to drive." I hauled myself to my feet and headed out the side door and proceeded to follow Roarke, Ed and Werner around to the back of the main building. Roarke faced the wall, raised his right hand, stared straight ahead and stated clearly.  
  
"Black Ops member Roarke." A whirring sounded from behind the wall as his retinal data, finger prints and voice signature were processed.  
  
"Access Granted." A panel on the wall slid out and opened into a door. At the end of a long hallway was an elevator that led directly into our office. Sometimes it was best if no one knew we were gone.  
  
"David, write up a report, no complaints just do it."  
  
"Aww, come on Roarke, they need to be able to read it."  
  
"Just do it!" I gave in, muttering I wrote up the said report and set it in a black basket marked 'OUT'. I sat myself down in a swivel chair. Seconds later a duffel bag was flying at me.  
  
"The hell's this for?" I asked.  
  
"Your vacation. You go to Junon, guard a rather large shipment of materia to Costa del sol, once in Costa del sol you are to interrogate these two." Roarke handed me a small folder. "Then, wait three weeks and guard the return materia shipment back to Junon..." I flipped through the folder I'd been handed. Finding two poorly colored surveillance photos. One of a spikey haired blonde man and the other of a very large black man. Their names read, Cloud Strife and Barret Wallace.  
  
"You gotta be kidding me." ******** They weren't. Two hours later I was aboard the 'Lurdai'. A transport ship carrying several tons of materia. It was a long, long trip to Costa del Sol, but finally I was back on land. Walking from the warf past a seaplane I slung the duffel bag over my shoulder and stepped into 'Villa David.', which was actually 'Villa Sarah', my sister's house that she never used. Dumping the contents of the duffel bag out onto one of the beds I found the perfect piece of equipment, a stun gun.  
  
Pocketing the weapon I walked casually through the town about four times before I spotted my first victim. Hanging around outside the inn. I stopped in front of the door.  
  
"Excuse me you wouldn't happen to know what time it is would you?" I asked.  
  
"No."  
  
"Oh." I shot, him, and caught the body before it hit the ground. Moving slowly back towards my place. "Heavy little bugger aren't you."  
  
"Hey, that foo's got Spike." And that would be Barret. I sped up enough to keep him safely behind me, but not so much as to lose him. Up some stairs and into my living room. I dropped Cloud, turned and aimed at Barret's chest level.  
  
"Don't worry; I'm gonna save yer spikey ass, damn blonde goin' an' getting' 'imself kidna." He stopped short as a small dart thudded into his chest. "Go.damn.Shi.nra."  
  
"Nighty night." I muttered. Barret murmured something that sounded like, 'Marlene' as he tottered over backwards. I grabbed his feet and dragged him down into the basement and returning for Cloud. With both of them firmly strapped into their chairs all I could do was wait for them to wake up.  
  
******** "The hell?!" Barret was awake now. Cloud was awake as well, though he pretended he wasn't, thinking I didn't notice. I moved from the corner I'd been sitting in and tossed the remains of my cigarette onto the floor. Flipping a switch on the floor I activated a pair of extremely bright lights.  
  
"Well now, it seems the two of you have a little problem. I'm going to ask you a few questions, answer truthfully and you'll leave here with no bruises other than the ones on the back of your head. You were a little to heavy to carry down the stai." I stopped my explanation. "never mind."  
  
"Shaddap you Shinra bastard."  
  
"Oh, I don't work for Shinra." Although the t-shirt I was wearing had 'Shinra Inc.' written across the front. "Question number one, what do you know about Neo-Avalanche?"  
  
"Not a goddam thing."  
  
"Mr. Wallace, lying to me is not suggested." I held up a large baton. "Recognize this? No? Well, it's an electro mag rod, a Shinra design but," I turned it on and jabbed it into his shoulder. "It's effective none the less." Cloud's head snapped up.  
  
"We're not going to tell you a thing ass hole." He said quietly.  
  
Shit I'd hoped that they would still be slightly drugged and stupid, no such luck there. These two were almost legendary; I wasn't going to get a thing from hem with my current tactics.  
  
"Well then, I suppose I'll just have to go interrogate Marlene." I walked off towards the stairs.  
  
"What?! You wouldn't! Hey, where are you going?" Barret screamed.  
  
"I told you, I'm going to get Marlene. I doubt she'll hold out as long or as well as the two of you will."  
  
"Stop! Come back here, I'll.I'll answer the question." An air of defeat in his voice. "Neo-Avalanche is a so called terrorist group led by his son Biggs." Barret nodded at Cloud.  
  
Bingo, he doesn't re-alize that I don't even know who the hell Marlene is! I calmed myself, draining emotion from my voice. "Interesting. Do you happen to know where their base is, no, don't tell me, just give them this." I tucked an envelope into Barret's pocket. "No, it is not a bomb. Now, one last question do you know where you are?"  
  
"No." They said in unison.  
  
"Good." I shot them with the stun gun again. And had them both untied and dragged out to the beach. Finding my PHS in one of my pockets I phoned in like I was supposed to. "Yah, Roarke, mission accomplished, they have the document. Leader's name is Biggs. uh huh, yes, I know sir, yes, no, alright. Yes 'I know, three weeks. Bye." The PHS was shoved back into one of my pockets. Now, to find my way to the Gold Saucer. 


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4  
  
I'd had a run in at North Corel, a small town decimated by Shinra several years ago. After assuring them that no, I didn't work for Shinra and that yes, I'd try and get a reconstruction team sent down there right away. But, now I was at the Gold Saucer, and I was going to have some fun, even if it killed me, or someone else.  
  
I first headed for the Chocobo races and, after finding that Joe was a racing his Chocobo Teiho, won 20 Gil. Then I headed to where I really wanted to be, the Battle Square. The woman behind me eyed me suspiciously. My damned Shinra t-shirt was causing more problems then I cared to deal with.  
  
"Well, you look like a fighter." She said. "There's a special contest on today, you, get to fight Dio, if you win there's a 'special' prize for you."  
  
"Then sign me up." I stated bluntly, just before the large metal door swung open and a blonde spikey haired person flew out of it, hitting the floor and skidding to a stop.  
  
That must be Biggs, it wasn't Cloud, he was taller than this guy.  
  
"Come back when you learn how to fight for real!" Dio stood in the doorway, struck a pose and walked across the floor toward the counter. "Any more challengers?" He demanded. Several people shrank away and other's fled the room entirely.  
  
"Yes Dio, this 'boy' here wants to fight you." I didn't like the emphasis she put on boy, but there wasn't much I could do about it. Dio simply laughed and walked back through the door with me following in his wake.  
  
"So, I hope yeh are a little more of a challenge than that punk." He said, changing from a pose to a combat stance.  
  
"So do I." I drew my tongfers, readied them and ran at him, swinging high but dropping into a sweep kick and extending my elbow, hitting Dio in the stomach, then jumping backwards as a ham sized fist whistled past my face.  
  
"Not bad boy." Dio sounded slightly amused.  
  
"You want not bad? I'll give you not bad!" With a shout I jumped up and forward, planting a foot in his face and kicking him in the back of the knee as I landed behind him. I spun around quickly and pummeled him with my tongfers. Suddenly I was wrapped up in a crushing embrace.  
  
"Heheheh, foolish, you let me get a hold of you, Not. A. Good. Idea!" He emphasized his words with a powerful squeeze before tossing me across the room. I stood, looking to run forward but Dio was a blur of movement. His fists hit me twice and I was on the ground, gasping for breath. Damn! This guy knew how to throw a punch. Then a notion struck me, I rose shakily and balanced my self, focusing on the Blue materia.  
  
Again nothing and then mass amounts of pain coursed through every fiber of my being, though not as intense as before. After the burning began to fade I was disconnected from myself, for how long I don't remember, but when I regained control I was standing over an unconscious and bruised Dio.  
  
The after affects were not as severe either I noticed, as I was able to walk out of the small room. I saw my battle with Dio being replayed on a large screen. Saw the look on my face, a maniacal grin and wide eyes, fighting like a berserker, but with more. precision. The expression of pure exultation on my face sent a shudder down my spine. I made a mental note never to use the Blue materia again unless I needed to.  
  
"U. umm, sir. Here's your prize." I was handed a small pendant which I almost immediately recognized as a Tetra elemental.  
  
"Thanks." I took it and fastened it around my neck as I made a hasty exit. I had a certain someone I needed to visit in Mt. Nibel.  
  
********  
  
Cold, cold, dark and damp. A great description of my current surroundings. I wasn't afraid, don't' get me wrong, the only thing to fear in here was the Materia keeper, and his pet. The pet was dead, Avalanche had killed it when they passed through here four years ago, and I was looking for the Materia keeper.  
  
There, a single, solitary light in the back of the cave.  
  
"Hellooo." I wandered towards the light, hoping I could remember where the actual path was.  
  
"Take two steps left, four forward and then just head left." A booming voice said. I did as I was told. Hearing rocks slip off the narrow path and fall for an eternity, finally striking a definitely solid bottom.  
  
"Umm. okay." I hurried onward into the blinding light the Materia keeper enjoyed.  
  
"You again." He was not as most people thought, a giant spider like monster, but a sociopathic old man.  
  
"Got a new one for you. It's called the Blue materia." I removed it from my Imperial guard and handed it to him.  
  
"Hmm. interesting, yes it is." I'd grown used to the old mans talking to himself. "It turns you into the perfect fight, devoid of emotion or rational thought." He paused. "Go away, now."  
  
I was given my materia back and after replacing it I ran out the way I had come, reversing the directions and getting back to the Gold Saucer. A slight misstep nearly pitched me into the depths of the dark chasm. I stood at the edge of the precipice, wind milling my arms in an effort to regain my balance.  
  
"This is so not professional."  
  
********  
  
I was in Corel yet again, trading my Shinra shirt in for a plain black one. About fifteen minutes of walking found me at the loading station for the air car. I heard familiar voices drifting from inside and found the rest of Black Ops standing inside it.  
  
"Shit, you guys! You're ruining my vacation."  
  
"Hey, I'm just taking a trip to the Gold Saucer dud, oh; we left our stuff at your oof." Ed had the wind knocked out of him by an innocent looking Roarke.  
  
"Besides Adom has never been to the Gold Saucer." He explained.  
  
"Odin save us. I suppose you've never been out of Midgar either." I muttered sarcastically.  
  
"Actually."  
  
"Stop, just stop. I'll give you the Grande Tour. if they let me back in."  
  
"What?" Roarke sounded clearly interested.  
  
"Oh, nothing I just, ahem, beat the shit out of Dio." The car lurched forward, propelled by a set of large propellers. As we traveled I recounted the epic tale of my battle with Dio. Or, as much as I could remember.  
  
"And I don't remember anything after that, just after." The car came screeching to a halt and the roar of engines was replaced by the happy, carefree music of the Gold Saucer.  
  
"We figured you'd be here." An all too familiar voice called out. A Blue clad man leapt down from atop one of the large displays, Tseng. The rest of the Turks followed, emerging from the shadows and cutting off our escape route. As if we would have actually ran.  
  
Rude came from the left, cracking his knuckles. Elena from the right, with a smile and a wave, then aiming a quicksilver. Reno took a seemingly favored spot at the rear, toying with an electro mag rod.  
  
My tongfers were nearly willed into my hands.  
  
"Long time no see." I said, launching myself forward, only to be straight armed by Tseng almost immediately. I rubbed my jaw. "You've been hanging around Rude I see." God, I'd forgotten how fast this guy was. I was punched, kicked, elbowed and thrown more times than I could count, or block. My opponent simply wasn't human.  
  
"Bloody Turks." I muttered, summoning Bahamut. The huge black dragon tore through the air, blasting with zeal, and then leaving as abruptly as he had come. I rolled out of Tseng's reach I caught a glimpse of his face, spotting something that wasn't normally there, a smile. Some thing was obviously and seriously wrong.  
  
"Mr. Boekal, I'd like you to meet Jet weapon.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"A secret project begun by Shinra a long time ago to combat the other weapon's after the failure of the Proud Clod's."  
  
"An' now it's gonna smash yer ass!" Reno added his two cents worth.  
  
"You villains are all he same, blah blah blah, explain my entire plan, blah blah blah..." A shadow covered the ground in front of me. "Oh shit."  
  
"A very colorful, if not accurate way of putting it. Tseng turned and walked into the theme park.  
  
Jet weapon, a massive, black monstrosity. Accented by a pair of red glowing eyes. Screams of terror, and a few other comments could be heard from the occupants of the Gold Saucer.  
  
"Let's show this bastard why Black Ops is the most feared group on planet." A hiss akin to that of a cobra was heard as Adom drew the Ragnarok. Roarke had his rifle 'Odin' in hand. Werner removed the pistol 'Silencer' from its holster at his hip and brandished it, firing several shot's into the thing's head.  
  
It roared loudly and slammed a taloned hand onto the ground where Werner had been seconds ago. And suddenly, there was Ed, stabbing left and right with his sai.  
  
I hoped I had the manna left and attempted to cast a Fire 3.  
  
A massive ball of flames erupted in Jet weapon's face; he simply roared and kept rampaging. I cursed and cast again, Jet weapon started rampaging a little more enthusiastically.  
  
"David cut it out! Can't you see your only helping it?!" Adom shouted, performing an acrobatic leap and swinging his sword, causing him to spin in a circle.  
  
"Cyclone Blade!" Adom seemed to be held up by strings, spinning and hitting Jet weapon with every revolution.  
  
Damn, another one. That was his second limit breaker and I didn't have one. My thoughts were interrupted by a giant black fist slamming me into a wall. Right at that instant I knew I could do it. Deep down, somewhere inside of me, I felt it awaken.  
  
"Alright, now I'm pissed!" I ran forward, not knowing what I was doing, and not really caring either. I just wanted to hurt that monster.  
  
"Crimson Fury!" And there it was my first limit break. I was moving at inhuman speeds, my both my tongfers and me trailing a reddish energy. Punching, kicking, smashing. I kicked off of Jet weapons face, planting a foot between its eyes. With a psychotic grin on my face I turned, ready to renew my attack, only to of our fighters remained, and I was one of them. Roarke, Ed, Werner, the three of them were strewn haphazardly across the room, and Adom's strength was obviously failing.  
  
"Guess I have no choice." I moved to where Adom was kneeling. "I need this." I stated, taking the Ragnarok from him. Grasping the hilt in both hands I relaxed myself, waiting for the inevitable pain that came from using the Blue materia. Again it hit, and again, severely less intense than the last time, the rest, as they say is history. 


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5  
  
Adom recounted the battle as best as he could, apparently I had fought like a madman, which surprised me very little. Wielding the large war sword with uncanny finesse. After getting him to explain just what the hell he meant by that I heard the rest of the story. I'd jumped, from a standstill, to head height on the monster, swinging the sword and cleaving Jet weapon in two.  
  
It had regenerated and fled.  
  
I had snapped out of the effect of the Blue Materia and carried Roarke and Ed to the haunted house inn while Adom carried Werner. And that left me where I currently was, lying on a bed attempting to sleep with through the loud fabricated screams. Not that they were disturbing, just that every time I was nearly asleep there was some noise or another. Right about now I was in the mood to strangle the freak who'd created this place.  
  
I heard a rustling noise and instinctively aimed my outsider at it; Mr. Hangman had never had a more perturbed look on his face.  
  
"Excuse me, sir. There is someone asking for you at the front desk."  
  
"Thank you." I holstered the pistol and walked down the stairs to meet my guest. "Well, you're the last person I expected to see." I stopped several steps from the bottom. Tseng shifted his gaze from the odd flower he'd been looking at, his typically blank expression in place.  
  
"No guns, no tricks, I just want to talk."  
  
"So, talk."  
  
"You may not remember but several years ago, we, I, the Turks."  
  
"Murdered my father." I finished for him.  
  
"Yes," I couldn't believe it, the great Tseng feeling guilty, or. "Your father," he continued. "Was, my. partner. I just did my job, as I am now. You have been offered a position with the Turks, one that you cannot turn down."  
  
"Is that so?" I commented, wondering if Tseng had pulled strings or if this was genuine, or worse, a trap.  
  
"Our president was quite impressed with your fighting skills." He stopped short, staring for a second.  
  
"What?!" I heard an odd sound; I recognized a little too late, a silenced gun shot. Then I saw the laser beam aimed at my chest, and felt the bullet strike. I fell back and rolled down the last several steps to the floor.  
  
"Reno, you are out of line."  
  
"The hell with that! I can finish him, if not at least tell him we gave his sis."  
  
"He was about to decide." Tseng interjected.  
  
"Ow, bastard, that hurt." I clutched my chest. The thin vest I'd been wearing had stopped the bullet itself, but not the force with which it hit.  
  
"Well?"  
  
"I'll consider your offer. Meet me at Round square tomorrow morning."  
  
"Consider it well, if you refuse, your sister dies." Reno shouted after me. I started up the stairs and into my room. I sat myself down on the floor and stared out into a rainstorm I knew wasn't there. What the hell was I supposed to do.? Now I had to choose between my dedication to my job, and to my family.  
  
"Where's my PHS?" I muttered, finding it in the pocket of my jacket. I dialed the number for the president's office.  
  
"Hello?" His new secretary answered.  
  
"Connect me to president Dorin."  
  
"Sir, I'll need you name."  
  
"Just connect me goddamit!" I shouted, losing my patience. The phone clicked and I was on hold for several seconds, then it was picked up again.  
  
"Hello? President Keith Dorin how can I help you?"  
  
"Sir, I need some help."  
  
"David! How's your vacation going?"  
  
"Good, well up until a minute ago it was."  
  
"Really? What happened?"  
  
"Turks. They want me to join them, they've kidnapped Sarah and they are going to kill her if I refuse."  
  
"I'd like to say I can help you, but I'm afraid there's nothing I can do."  
  
"What?!" I hoped I'd heard him wrong.  
  
"You will have to decide for yourself what the best course of action." I hurled the PHS against the wall and watched the shards of plastic hit the floor.  
  
"The company will always be there for you. You remember that promise?!" I was yelling at no one. "Where are your damn promises now?!" I sat down on the floor and leaned against the bed. "The company will solve all your problems." Already I heard their reply, 'this isn't covered by our policies, we never planned for it to happen.'  
  
I finally figured out what to do. I picked up the rooms phone and re-dialed the company.  
  
"He."  
  
"Give me the president." I got no argument. "I'll do it." I said as soon as president Dorin picked up.  
  
"Don't worry, Adom will take your place in Black Ops until such a time as you can return. Good luck on the other side."  
  
********  
  
Tseng, where the hell are you? I thought to myself as I stood under an overpass near the entrance to Round square. The throng of visitors bending around me. Then I saw Reno, walking towards me, and stopping a few feet in front of me. Rude approached me from the opposite side, and there was Tseng, walking side by side with Elena.  
  
"Your decision?" Tseng asked bluntly. I drew my outsider, spinning it expertly and finally casting it over the railing, hearing it strike several supports as it plummeted to the ground. Tseng got the message behind the act, to him, the act of throwing away my standard issue weapon was significant.  
  
"Let's go." I said, making to walk off.  
  
"Hold it." Reno placed a hand on my chest and pushed my back. "How do we know he's serious?"  
  
"What exactly do you have in mind?" Elena asked him rhetorically.  
  
"I have here, his hotel phone record." He held up a sheet of paper. "Fourteen phone calls, it's all here, see, one call to Domino's, and another and another, Damn this guy eats a lot of pizza., wait there! See T.L.L Inc." He sounded triumphant.  
  
"I called to find out what to do. they wouldn't do anything. So much for them always being there for me." The bitterness I still felt must have convinced them.  
  
"Alright, let's go." We filed down to the air car and left.  
  
********  
  
All my Black Ops stuff was taken and burnt, then replaced by Shinra imitations. My world was suddenly upside down, old friends were enemies and enemies' friends. Places I could go I couldn't now. A day later I was on my first assignment. I was a sniper, Tseng was along to make sure I actually did it.  
  
I was aiming, the rain was pouring, a family friend passed into my sights. I squeezed the trigger, and watched as his silhouette fell out of my vision. The deed done I began disassembling the rifle. Tseng rested a hand on my shoulder, imagery flashed through my head and, at that moment, I realized why Tseng was the way he was, he had to be ready to kill anyone at anytime. From what I gathered out of the occasional blurb from Tseng and the constant bickering between Reno and Elena, my father had been a Turk. One day he started secretly supporting T.L.L; Shinra had found out and had him removed, permanently.  
  
Being a Turk was surprisingly a lot like being in Black Ops. I had full access to the Shinra building, although there were some floors I tended to stay away from, the science labs for one. Hojo had been a madman and a few of his monsters were still locked away inside the rooms. Several times I could have sworn I saw a platinum haired man wandering those corridors, but he disappeared every time I got close.  
  
But, cutting through the science labs was the quickest way to my office. Which is why I was there now. I sped up to a quick walk, trying to appear calm even though there was no one there to see me. Except for him, I ran to catch up with him.  
  
"Hey, who the hell are you?" I asked. The silver haired specter turned to face me, wearing a smirk that faded as it drew an immensely long katana from thin air. "Beware, it is at hand." The voice seemed to come from everywhere at once. He swung the sword as hard as he could; it disappeared inches from my throat, along with the rest of him.  
  
"Creepy." I continued down the hall, turned left and made a right at the end of the hallway. Opening and entering a door marked 'David Boekal'. Instinctively I drew the quicksilver I now carried in place of my outsider. I crouched and flipped on the lights, aiming at my desk.  
  
And there was Reno.  
  
"What do you want?" I asked as I holstered my gun and unbuttoned the jacket of my Turks uniform.  
  
"Two things, One, we have released your sister, and two, good job on that sniping mission. It's been a custom, ever since I showed up to go drinking with the newest Turk." He took his feet off my desk and stood up.  
  
"Oh really." I started to light a smoke, saw the look Reno gave me and handed him one.  
  
"You know, you're more fun when you're not shooting at me."  
  
"I could say the same about you." 


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6  
  
Reno and I stumbled back into the office several hours later. Neither entirely sober, but not quite drunk either. After a particularly rowdy chorus of 'O Christmas tree' he, or I noticed the shape my office was in. Stuff was everywhere, books papers. Scrawled randomly over the walls were the words "Beware it is at hand" written in something that looked suspiciously like blood.  
  
I felt Reno tap my shoulder.  
  
"What?" He pointed over to my desk, which had an extremely large katana stabbed into it.  
  
"Shit... the Masamune... he's back."  
  
"Who's back?"  
  
"Sephiroth."  
  
********  
  
"That's the guy?!" I asked, looking at a large projected image. "That's Sephiroth... Holy shit I saw that guy just last night." I received several odd stares from the gathered executives.  
  
"Sephiroth is dead, or at least he was." Elena commented.  
  
"What I want to know is why he doesn't know who Sephiroth is... I mean, hell he only tried to destroy the planet a few years ago." Reno asked, looking around the room.  
  
"I knew about Sephiroth but I've never seen him." I replied.  
  
"Interesting, so Sephiroth is back, again." Michael Shinra looked anything other than interested. "What is your suggestion?"  
  
"Me?" A man I'd heard Reno call Palmer stated.  
  
"Well, you are my director of defense aren't you....?"  
  
"Yes I am." A proud tone crept into Palmers voice and I saw Michael roll his eyes. "I suggest that we sit tight and wait for someone to kill him, it's all we can do."  
  
"You would think that." Michael looked to me and the rest of the Turks. "Your view of the situation is?"  
  
"There is not much we can do, Sephiroth will be just as powerful as he was, if not more so." Tseng replied.  
  
"I see, you are all dismissed." He motioned with his hand, "Tseng, remain a moment." I filed out of the room with the rest of the executives and joined Reno, Elena and Rude in waiting for Tseng. I could make out a faint one sided conversation, but only made out the words.  
  
"Watch David, if Sephiroth is contacting him he must be important." Without seeing Tseng I knew his response, a slight nod. The double doors were closed directly beside Tseng and audibly locked as the paranoid president of Shinra Inc, locked himself inside the conference room.  
  
Tseng immediately turned. "You are not permitted to go anywhere unless accompanied by one or all of the Turks."  
  
"Great so if I wanna take a piss I have to have someone hold my hand the whole time." I heard Reno stifle a snicker.  
  
"Let's go." Tseng muttered.  
  
"Whoa, hey, where we going?" I asked from behind Reno.  
  
"A safe house."  
  
"What for?"  
  
"Sephiroth is back, you are a contact of his, and whether that's good or bad we don't yet know." Tseng replied.  
  
"Yeah, and the last person he 'contacted' ended up with the Masamune sticking out of their back like a weather vane." Reno added.  
  
"Bring on the safe house." I replied enthusiastically.  
  
********  
  
"This is it?" I was standing in the doorway of a four bedroom bungalow. I leaned over and whispered to Reno. "There's five of us and only four rooms."  
  
"No shit Sherlock." Reno cleared his throat. "Alright, there's an extra person, so I've devised a way to find out who gets pegged with sharing a bed. I am putting two bolt and three ice materia in this hubcap." He pried a hubcap off of Rude's car.  
  
"..." Rude didn't look overly pleased with this.  
  
"I'll put it back okay." Reno tried to calm him. He placed the materia in the hubcap and walked around while everyone took one. "Newbie's first."  
  
"Bolt." I said aloud. Well, I was sharing a bed; all that would be decided now was who with.  
  
"Ice." Rude down, a relief.  
  
"Same." I wasn't sharing with Elena, the only one I wouldn't have minded...  
  
"I've got an ice." Tseng stated. Reno dropped the hubcap and kicked across the front lawn.  
  
"Godammit!" he wandered off and kept cursing.  
  
"This is going to be a long night." I mumbled.  
  
********  
  
"You stay on that half, I'll stay on this half, that's your blanket and this is mine got it?" Reno asked.  
  
"Yeah, I got it."  
  
"You roll across this line." He pointed at a strip of duct tape he'd placed in the middle of the bed, "and I will electrocute you so bad your fingernails will change color." He waved his electro mag rod at me.  
  
"And if you end up on my half I'll just stab you." I replied, patting my combat knife.  
  
"Alright then, good night." He switched of the lamp.  
  
********  
  
I woke up in an unfamiliar room, and then remembered, I walked groggily out into the living room where Tseng sat in a large chair, dressed in a blue t- shirt and grey sweat pants, completely absorbed in a book. Reno was standing in the kitchen, cooking something that smelled remotely like food. He was still wearing his suit pants and his white dress shirt was completely unbuttoned.  
  
Elena was busy restocking the cupboards, the only Turk still in uniform with Rude no where to be seen.  
  
"Put you uniform on the couch, it has to be dry cleaned, um; find something in the laundry room to wear in the meantime." Elena stated without turning.  
  
"To hell with that, you take this sit down and eat." Reno scooped a bunch of beige colored slop into a bowl and handed it to me.  
  
"The hell is this?" I asked.  
  
"Reno's Magic Porridge." He announced happily.  
  
"What's in it?"  
  
"It's oatmeal and brown sugar, what do you take me for?" He sat down on the couch and dug the remote out of the cushions. "Let's see what's on the T.V." He started quickly flipping through the channels. "Crap, crap, crap, crap..." He looked up at the ceiling. "Alright, I can take a hint, I'll go out and get drunk."  
  
"I'm going, nothing else to do around here..." I stood up and followed him out the door.  
  
********  
  
"So David, tell us about the rest of Black Ops." Reno slurred. We'd been back an hour and had eaten almost every edible thing in the building.  
  
"Well, Roarke is okay, really bossy though, Adom, he's just a normal guy, like Odin over there." I pointed at an empty corner. "Oops... guess he's over there now..."  
  
"Right..."  
  
"Uh huh, it's hot in here; I need a drink... um." I slumped over. Out cold.  
  
********  
  
I woke up under a coffee table, with the worst headache I'd ever had in my life.  
  
"Aww man." I got up and staggered into the bathroom, slashed some cold water on my face and walked back out into the living room. The rest of the Turks were sitting around a small card table.  
  
"Well, good afternoon." Reno stated loudly.  
  
"After...wha?" I was still a little groggy.  
  
"It is 1:30 am Midgar standard." Tseng replied, throwing two cards on top of the pile. "Two queens."  
  
"Your too good at this, I'm getting nothing from you." Rude added a card to the pile.  
  
"King."  
  
"And you too... alright my turn, two aces."  
  
"...cheat." Rude stated.  
  
"Fuck you! You always seem to get away with it but I never do, see, a damned four."  
  
"I don't know how I got talked into this." Elena pushed her chair back and walked into the kitchen.  
  
"Hey, while you're up get me a beer." Reno yelled after her. "Play for Elena." He motioned to the empty seat.  
  
"What are we playing?"  
  
"Cheat."  
  
"I have no idea how to play this."  
  
"Good." Elena walked back in and sat down behind Tseng. "You have to play a two now, if you have four of them play four, if you don't have any you cheat... How it works is..." Somewhere in the building a phone rang. Tseng found and answered it.  
  
"Hello, yes sir, no sir, we've been here all day. Alright, you want us to look in on it? Alright." He hung the phone up and placed it within easy reach.  
  
"What's up?" I asked.  
  
"Sephiroth is up, Palmer's dead, he was in your office,"  
  
"Odin knows why." Reno interrupted.  
  
"Masamune right through his back." Tseng continued, completely ignoring Reno.  
  
"Holy shit." I just sat there.  
  
"Oh big loss, Palmers dead, poor us, good riddance and thank you Sephiroth your my new hero."  
  
What the hell is going on here? I tried to make sense of what was happening.  
  
"Hey, I'm hungry." Reno commented, snapping me back to reality.  
  
"Three two's" I put three cards on the pile.  
  
"Cheat." Reno called out.  
  
"Nope."  
  
"Fuck you to then." 


End file.
